Frequently Asked Questions

Gone are the days where you could just walk into an office and hand them a resume listing your employment dates, some tickets and a couple of referees.

The challenge for job seekers has now became threefold: You must have strong computing skills; you must describe your accomplishments objectively, without being timid; and you must know what to include and what to leave out of your resume (and why). With unemployment at an all time high; companies cutting back on hiring; projects being shelved; there is more pressure than ever to have a great resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile that cuts through the clutter.

Trends in resume writing and the hiring industry have changed massively over the last five years. Hiring managers are so overwhelmed that they have turned to computers to sort through resumes. And, those resumes they actually read only get a ten second scan, which doesn’t give you a lot of time to prove your value.

The reality is that your resume is the foundation upon which your entire job search is built. Just like you would call a plumber to fix your broken pipe; or a lawyer for legal advice; or a builder if you found cracks in your house foundations… a resume written correctly, can lead to many interviews. Written poorly, it can quickly be the end of your job search. Is yours good enough?

All resume writers are not alike. Pilbara Resumes offers an individualised and collaborative service for 6 to 12 clients per month.

We invest heavily in further study to stay abreast of the market needs. Writing career marketing documents from scratch, Pilbara Resumes is not a resume re-formatting service. If you just want your existing content tidied up and put in a nice template, you can find a secretarial service for around $50 to $200.

If you are looking for a quick fix, there are plenty of services that list cheap prices and fast turnaround for their services. Pre-written and generic content, templates and a cut-and-paste from your old resume tends to be how they work; as you review them, consider these points of interest:

Are you able to identify and speak with your writer?

Does your writer possess one – or more career development credentials?

Will your writer use a resume writing program or pre-designed (Microsoft) template?

Does your writer use a word processing program that you do not have on your computer system?

Will your writer provide you with a Word document that you can modify as needed, or will you have to return for help?

What is the turnaround time – 24hrs is too quick to create individualised strategic documents?

A cheap service can cost more in the long run…

The bottom line is that the sooner you have the right resume in hand, the sooner you can start interviewing for the kinds of roles you really want.

Give Marlene a call or email during office hours (Monday – Friday EST) with any other questions – or just head to our services page and select your level of experience, then the best package that suits your needs.

We can’t tell you how many times we’ve received calls from clients who have waited too long to seek help, then to find they need their resume yesterday or the perfect job closes in 3 days… only to discover that the resume writing process at this level takes more time than they anticipated.

Absolutely – the sooner you get started, the sooner we can work together to create a great resume that perfectly represents you.

Once you have decided on the service you require, choose a phone appointment time (60-90 minutes) that suits you. The next step is to complete full payment which locks in your project. We advice you to make the appointment prior to purchasing a document package to avoid unnecessary delays in the process.

After you’ve placed your order and the appointment time is set – working together is easy!

We ask for 60 – 90 minutes of your time for the one-on-one phone consultation to uncover your unique brand, experiences, talents, passions, achievements and more. You may be required to chase up some referees, project details, or other information as discussed in our call. From here we’ll address any questions or changes you may have and work together to finalise the documents.

Each project is unique and the preparation time can vary depending on how much information each client has previously gathered together. The entire process can take between 5 to 14 business days (additional documents can extend the project) and will include a final resume formatted in MS Word and Adobe PDF – with a follow-up session to refine the documents to your satisfaction.

Plus, all documents will be backed up and stored in our system so they are available within one business day of your request, so if you need another copy ASAP send us an email.

Due to the popularity of services, we sometimes have a waiting list, just give us a call if you have an urgent need.

Payment is required in full before our scheduled first consultation. Visa, MasterCard, direct transfer (through PayPal) or bank deposit (on request) are acceptable forms of payment.

Invoices are generated as you go through the ordering process (on the Service page) and payment is made directly through a secure online merchant processing payment portal. You do not need to have a Paypal account to use this payment option.

With flexible appointments throughout the day, from 9am until 5:30pm (EST), most of our clients can juggle work hours or make time for their appointment during lunchtime breaks or RDOs. We offer after-hours phone consultations on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, as we understand the long hours worked by our clients. Weekend appointments only by prior arrangement.

Some clients may be out of range (FIFO remote camp, bad phone/internet service or offshore) during their swing. We can provide after-hours phone appointments or an emailed worksheet to get the process started, which is followed up by a call to go through the final resume draft, once you are off swing or in phone range.

Offering an full online and phone consultation service, we have successfully conducted business over the phone and by email for more than 6 years, which saves you time and reduces distractions.

A call makes it easier to stay on topic in our conversation, which is more difficult in person. The main way we find out more about you is through asking questions, taking notes on your answers and stories, and basically getting a sense for your speech patterns and expressions so your documents sound more like you. This requires a very focused kind of listening and through years of trial and error, Pilbara Resumes has evolved to 100% virtual… It works!

No problem! We will ask you to provide us with your employment history and education prior to your phone consultation.

Although specialising in Oil & Gas and Mining blue/white collar workers (tradesmen, construction, engineering, project management, environmental and safety, maintenance, administrative, logistics, consultants, and maritime), we do work across all sorts of job titles and industries Australia-wide.

Helping clients across retail, financial, nursing, aged care, education, hospitality, security, archaeology, and so on – we’ve even worked with professional snowboarders, photographers, interior designers and school leavers chasing an apprenticeship or their first job.

So, the short answer is yes we work with clients across a full spectrum of job titles and industries.

From working with stay-at-home mums who have been out of the workforce for a few years; tradesmen who’ve experienced multiple layoffs or short term contracts; all kinds of career transitions; business owners returning to team roles; government employees transitioning to the private sector; clients with jack-of-all-trades experience; no degrees or unfinished qualifications – and so many more, the list could go on.

We’ve helped clients in ALL types of challenging job-search situations – it’s what we do!

Nowadays with search engines being such a prolific part of our lives, people do not realise plagiarism can be detected with a simple cut and paste into a Google search field. Recruiters will sometimes cut and paste the first few lines of a resume to see if it posted anywhere else on the web, or if it belongs to someone in their database, before submitting it to their client to avoid embarrassment.

When the same resume content in multiple resumes comes up in the search result with different names on top of each resume, the person with the earliest date posted can win and the rest look silly – or worse still – your resume will end up looking like one of the thousands out there that also have the same style.

Everyone should have their own ‘individual’ resume to show their individual skills, strengths and experience – otherwise everyone will just copy YOUR GREAT resume, and soon enough ‘everyone has the same resume!’ and yours won’t stand out from the crowd!

Confidentiality is everything.

Understanding the nature of the resource and construction industries, Pilbara Resumes has built a reputation of trust and confidentiality. With the vast amount of clients we have worked with, so many come from the same company, project, trade background, or it tends to be a case of everyone knows everyone.

We do not share any of your information without your permission and all documents are maintained in the strictest of confidence.

Absolutely! We provide you with a 100% satisfactory guarantee, that you will have the most effective marketing documents. Our clients have been successful in speeding up their job search, securing more interviews and being offered competitive roles, through to even having roles created especially for them.

“If a writer guarantees you a job, run!” No resume writer can offer you the guarantee of a job as there are so many factors that come into play. The current job market, your interview skills, the quality of your competition, social media concerns, not changing cover letter details, errors in submitting your application, or maybe even that the company already had their ideal candidate already picked out and have just advertised the role to formalise it.

The resume is only one component of your job search tool kit. We offer additional coaching, and other resources such as e-books and blog articles through to LinkedIn strategies and job application help, to give you every possible advantage to help you outperform your competition.

Client Feedback

My resume was transformed into a document adorned with remarkable and intelligent wording that landed me my ‘dream job’ on the Shell Prelude FLNG.

Thank you, Marlene. I would recommend her to those who wish to achieve that most desired job.”

MA, Production Technician | Karratha

“The way you have approached the content and presentation is something new to us, spot on and fresh.

We would like to say a huge thank you for your patience in drawing out all the details from us and the huge task of putting that together in a package. Also we now realise that your industry knowledge and years of experience in recruitment/ HR is invaluable."

BS, Safety Advisor and Site Supervisor | Perth

“Hi Marlene, Just thought that I'd drop you a line to let you know that on New Year's Eve, I got a call from Woodside offering me a permanent position at KGP and I happily accepted!

Cheers for the work you put into my resume and the other documents, I feel this definitely helped me to achieve this awesome outcome!”

TJ, Inlec Technician | Karratha

"I have been in Korea, as an EEHA Inspector on the Gorgon Project and am really enjoying it, it seems I will be here into next year sometime as my contract has just been extended and recruiters are looking at my LinkedIn profile.

I really appreciate your help along the way from Pluto to offshore, Bass Strait, and now Korea.”

HD, EEHA Inspector | Melbourne

"Thanks again, Marlene for all your help. Things are starting to kick off here now! I have no doubt your resumes have been a big factor in the past two years. You are very knowledgeable about the marine, rigging, safety and construction industries/companies.

Spending time ascertaining the information required, resulted in a finished product that is set out beautifully and is eye-catching.”

MT, Advanced Rigger | Darwin

“Marlene’s work is incredible. My manager mates have looked at my CV and been so impressed saying they would all hire me because of it.

That’s happened 4 times in reality, where I have been offered roles and they always comment on my CV.”

HA, Environmental Advisor | Perth

“I’ve just read through the documents and they are absolutely brilliant. You are worth your weight in gold.

I will keep you up to date with my career progression and hand your information onto anyone who is serious about making a statement with their first impression (CV)”

SH - Industrial Electrician | Pilbara

“Your service is excellent without you I’d never get these jobs! I’ve been on the Darwin shutdown for one month, now I’m at the Karratha Gas Plant (KGP) shutdown.